Subtlety Rogue

The priority

1. Shadow Blades — when it is ready, with energy to spare
2. Shadow Dance — outside dance, with energy and few combo points
3. Secret Technique — at 5 combo points, in shadow dance
4. Eviscerate — at 5 combo points
5. Shadowstrike — in shadow dance, below 5 combo points
6. Backstab — outside shadow dance, below 5 combo points

Common mistakes

• Entering Shadow Dance with almost no Energy.
• Using Backstab inside Shadow Dance instead of Shadowstrike.
• Finishing below 5 combo points.

What’s simplified

• Each turn is one decision (about one global cooldown). Cooldowns and buff durations are converted to turns, so timing is approximate.
• Priority order follows SimulationCraft’s default priority list for this build, simplified to the abilities modeled here. Costs, cooldowns and effects come from Blizzard’s spell data. Rule wording is our own.
• Energy caps at 100 and regenerates 30 per turn (rogues have a 1-second global cooldown, so a turn covers more Energy than for other classes). Costs from spell data: Shadowstrike 50, Shuriken Storm 50, Backstab 40, Eviscerate 35, Black Powder 35, Secret Technique 30.
• Combo points cap at 5. Shadowstrike gives 2, Backstab and Shuriken Storm 1 (Shuriken Storm 2 on 3+ enemies).
• Cooldowns in turns: Shadow Blades 40 (lasts 11), Shadow Dance 2 charges every 12 (lasts 6, since a rogue turn is about a second), Secret Technique 12.
• Stealth openers, Vanish, Slice and Dice upkeep, Goremaw’s Bite and Coup de Grace are not modeled.

Sources

• SimulationCraft: Default action priority list (Oct 20, 2026)
• SimulationCraft: Spell data dump, build 12.1.5.70391 (Oct 16, 2026)
• Blizzard Entertainment: Spell tooltips and Game Data API (spells) (Oct 13, 2026)
• Warcraft Secrets: Patch 12.1.5 content update notes (class changes) (Oct 13, 2026)

Trickster, following SimulationCraft’s default Subtlety priority. Deathstalker is not modeled. Reviewed Oct 20, 2026. A training aid, not a damage simulator.